Preparations underway for Lewiston-Auburn Film Festival

LEWISTON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Preparation is in full gear for the upcoming Lewiston-Auburn film festival, and enthusiasm is already running high for an event officials say provides an important economic and cultural boost to the community.

Organizers say the third annual film festival has received 200 film submissions, and 75 will be screened over two full days. The event draws filmmakers, producers, and directors from across Maine, the rest of the country, and even a few foreign countries.

City officials say the festival has so far been an economic success, bringing in nearly $125,000 to the twin cities just last year, while also promoting culture and arts in the community.

"We're drawing people from Portland, from Bangor, from Augusta, and from those cities, they're considered the big cities, and Lewiston-Auburn is really up and coming. So to draw all those people here because we can offer something here they don't have there is fabulous," Festival Spokesperson Molly McGill said.

Initial plans and a celebrity guest were announced at a press conference in Lewiston Monday. "Survivorman" Les Stroud, who hosts a show on the Discovery Channel, will be perfoming at the film festival. It will also be the world premiere for "The Peleton Project," a film that follows cancer survivors as they travel from Canada to Lewiston, culminating with the Dempsey Challenge.

The festival for the first time spans four days, and it officially kicks off April 4th in Lewiston.